Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) for IBM BladeCenter (Withdrawn)

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Abstract

The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) has two 1 Gb Ethernet ports that are designed for IBM BladeCenter servers with CFFv expansion slots. It is based on proven Broadcom 5704 ASIC technology and offers value added features such as BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager and software-based iSCSI support.

Note: This product has now been withdrawn from marketing and is no longer available for ordering from IBM.

Contents

The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) has two 1 Gb Ethernet ports that are designed for IBM BladeCenter servers with CFFv expansion slots. It is based on proven Broadcom 5704 ASIC technology and offers value added features such as BladeCenter Open Fabric Manager and software-based iSCSI support.

This card is installed into the CFFv slot of the supported blade server. It provides connections to Ethernet-compatible modules that are in bay 3 and bay 4 of the supported BladeCenter chassis. The CFFv slot is a PCI-X 1.0 slot. Figure 1 shows the Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv).

Figure 1. Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv)

Did you know?

Today's virtualized servers require a larger number of network adapters. The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) adapter is a perfect fit for these environments because it can enable up to eight Ethernet ports per blade server.

Are you planning to implement an iSCSI storage area network (SAN)? Did you know that iSCSI implementations require data on a separate LAN? The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) adapter is an important part of any iSCSI implementation. By using this adapter, you can separate the Ethernet traffic and SAN traffic into different networks.

When using the Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) adapter, you can simultaneously use a CFFh adapter to enable more types of I/O to supported blade servers, such as the HS21, when installed in the IBM BladeCenter H chassis. The innovative design of the Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) adapter is designed to work with the CFFh adapter to support this combination workload.

The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) is also supported in an expansion blade when the blade servers support both the expansion card and that particular expansion blade. Figure 2 shows where the CFFv card is installed in a BladeCenter server.

Figure 2. Location on the BladeCenter server planar where the CFFv card is installed

The Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) requires that a supported I/O module is installed in bay 3 and bay 4 of the chassis in which the cards and servers are installed. The following I/O modules are supported :

* The expansion card can be installed in servers in the BladeCenter S (8886). However, by doing so, you lose the ability to connect to the BladeCenter S Disk Storage Modules (DSMs). The Ethernet expansion card goes in the place of the SAS expansion card that is needed to connect to the DSMs. Instead, use the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh), part number 44W4479.

iSCSI SAN storage solution

In addition, the Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFv) can be used to connect to an external iSCSI-based entry-level SAN, as shown in Figure 4.

* The expansion card can be installed in servers in the BladeCenter S (8886). However, by doing so, you lose the ability to connect to the BladeCenter S DSMs. The Ethernet expansion card goes in the place of the SAS expansion card that is needed to connect to the DSMs. Instead, use the 2/4 Port Ethernet Expansion Card (CFFh), part number 44W4479.

This configuration also requires cabling between the chassis and the storage server and between the storage server and expansion units. (The cable part numbers are not listed in Table 4.)

Special Notices

This material has not been submitted to any formal IBM test and is published AS IS. It has not been the subject of rigorous review. IBM assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness. The use of this information or the implementation of any of these techniques is a client responsibility and depends upon the client's ability to evaluate and integrate them into the client's operational environment.